Plunger compressor for pistol magazines



July 4, 1950 M. R. DONALLAN PLUNGER COMPRESSOR FOR PISTOL MAGAZINESFiled May 10, 1948 Mmiin R. Domollcn Patented July 4, 1950 umrso STATESPLUNGER COMPRESSQR Fort PISTOL MAGAZINES r Martin Dmnallari,OildaleQCalil.

Application Maylfl, 1948, Serial No. 26,182

This invention relates to a loading means for pistol magazines.

In magazines for automatic pistols. the shells are urged forward bymeans of a spring-pressed plunger, and a knob or button is secured tothe plunger so that the latter may be retracted by engagement of a thumbor finger therewith. Due to the strength of the spring, and where thegun is being used for target practice and is reloaded a number of timesthe reloading operation renders the thumb or finger sore. It is,therefore, an object of this invention to provide a plunger retractorwhich is engageable with the plunger button and will permit theretraction of the plunger without injury to a digit.

Another object of this invention is to provide a plunger retractor whichis readily adaptable to different types of magazines.

To the foregoing objects, and others which may hereinafter more fullyappear, the invention consists of the novel construction, combinationand arrangement of parts, as will be more specifically referred to andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, but it is to be understoodthat changes,

variations and modifications may be resorted to 1;

which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a detailed side elevation of a plunger retractor constructedaccording to an embodiment of this invention, mounted on a magazine foran automatic pistol.

Figure 2 is a detailed top plan view of the device in applied position.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4 t of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view sim ilar to Figure 3 butshowing the retractor on another form of pistol magazine.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l designates generally aconventional magazine for an automatic pistol which includes a tubularbody H having slidably mounted therein a plunger l2 which is constantlyurged forwardly by means of r a spring l3. The tubular body H is formedwith an elongated slot M and a plunger retracting button I looselyextends through the slot 14. In automatic pistol magazines at present inuse when the magazine is being loaded the plunger I2 is retracted ormoved to the right as viewed in Figure 1 by engagement of a digit suchas a thumb or the like with the button l5. Where the pistol is beingused for target practice or other rapid firing requiring the frequentloading v 2 of the magazine, the digit or thumb becomeslsoiie' byengagement with the button l5 due tothe strength of the plungeroperating spring I31 In order to provide a means whereby the plunge eri2inay be retracted toward the rear of the magazine ill, I have provideda retractor gen'er: ally designatedsas Iii-Which is formed of.U,-;shaped member having parallel opposite sides 1:] andwlt .andawconnecting bight or wall |9,..'.: The wall i9 is bent upwardly asindicated at at the rear thereof and the obtusely inclined wall 20merges with a forwardly inclined wall 2| thereby forming a pocket 22 atthe rear of the retractor within which the rear pointed end 23 of themagazine is adapted to engage. The side wall it is formed with a cut-out2% extending downwardly from the upper edge thereof and the forward edge25 of the cut-out is formed with a pair of notches or keepers 26 withina selected one of which the button I5 is adapted to engage.

The retractor It also includes a transversely extending intermediatewall 27 forming a second pocket 28 so that where a magazine of the typeshown in Figure 5 is being loaded the rear end of the magazine may beengaged in the pocket 28 with the intermediate wall 21 engaging againstthe rear end of the magazine Illa.

In the use of this device when it is desired to load the magazine 10with shells, the retractor i6 is engaged with the button It, the latterengaging in a selected one of the notches 2B. Initially the button IEwill be at the forward end of the slot l4 and when the button I5 isengaged in a notch 26, the upper edge of rear wall 2| will slidinglyengage the lower edge of the tubular member H. The retractor may then bepushed rearwardly moving therewith the spring-pressed plunger l2 untilthe rear end of the magazine is in a position to engage in the pocket 22with the rear wall 2| of the retractor being disposed in the positionshown in Figure 3. The retractor will hold the plunger I2 in itsretracted position so that the shells may be inserted in the forward endof the magazine until the latter has been filled to the desired degree.After the magazine It! has been substantially filled with shells, theretractor it may be moved rearwardiy a slight distance to release therear end of the magazine from pocket 22 thereby permitting the rear ofthe retractor being swung downwardly and the button l5 being releasedfrom a notch or keeper 26.

With a device as hereinbefore described, the spring-pressed plunger ofthe magazine will be releasably held in its retracted position and canbe moved to such position with ease and without injury to a digit orwithout having the plunger accidentally released as where the digitmight slip off of the button.

Iclaim:

1. A plunger retractor for the magazine of an automatic pistolcomprising a member substantially U-shaped in transverse section, saidmember having relatively wide sides for sliding engagement over oppositesides of the magazine with one of said sides formed with a cutout, one

with relativel wide sides for sliding engagement s. over opposite sidesof the magazine, a wall connecting adjacent edges of said sidestogether, one of said sides being formed with an upwardly =openingcutout and one edge of said cutout having at least one notch forengagement with the .5

plunger retractor button, said wall with the sides of said memberforming a pocket within which the rear end of said magazine is adaptedto engage, said wall being formed with obliquely disposed rear portions,and an intermediate wall fixed between said sides forwardly of saidoblique rear portions of said first named wall and forming with saidsides a second pocket in which the rear end of the magazine is adaptedto engage.

3. A plunger retractor for the magazine of an automatic pistolcomprising a member having spaced apart "side walls adapted to slidablyengage over the opposite sides of the magazine, one of said side wallsbeing formed with a cutout having upwardly divergent side edges, aplurality of spaced apart notches formed in one of said side edges forengagement with the plunger retractor button of the magazine, and a webextending between said side walls adjacent to the end thereof removedfrom said notches and adapted to engage the rear end of the magazine forholding the plunger in retracted position.

MARTIN R. DONNALLAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Nam Date

